Genoa boss: Italy tops in tactics

Genoa coach Gian Piero Gasperini believes Italian football will continue to set the tactical agenda in world football as he ponders a switch to "futuristic football."

Gasperini has been a purveyor of the three-man defence ever since his first stint as Genoa coach, which saw the club return to Europe in 2009. He tried and failed with similar tactics at Inter Milan, but still believes his ideas have disseminated around Europe.

However, now the rest of Europe have caught on, he says he is planning a new approach for the coming season.

"Have you seen how many national teams in Brazil used a three-man defence?" he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "People always said you'd never get far with a three-man defence in international football. Well they've been proven wrong. And when more and more people start playing with three at the back, I'm going to change. I'm already preparing a nice, revamped 4-4-2. Get ready, I'm going to surprise you. It's futuristic football with systems which change during the game."

Gasperini belong to a school of coaches in Italy who focus almost entirely on tactical work. Indeed, he believes Italian football is the forerunner when it comes to tactics, and will continue to be the envy of world football in that field.

"Everybody copies everybody in football, maybe readapting things, but I think that, tactically speaking, all ideas are born in Italy," said Gasperini, 56. "They then get 'stolen' by others. People abroad learn from us."